noguesslisted

# noguess: the shape of what you ask the machine The method inside is TCE + NHA. Students say "TCE this"; the command is `noguess`. A prompt does not need to be right the first time. It needs to make every gap visible. Visible gaps are cheap to close. Hidden guesses cost a single builder a week. TCE (Task, Context, Expectations) opens the loop with structured input. NHA (notes, facts, files) closes it with verified output. ## When to stand down Do the work, without a gap analysis and without writing a prompt block, when any of these is true: - The folder already has a truth file that describes this business or project (`BUSINESS-TRUTH.md`, or an AGENTS.md or CLAUDE.md that describes the work). Read it first; ask only what it does not answer. A generic agent config file does not count. - The ask names a file or a symptom and a fix ("the login rejects the second attempt, it is in session.ts, fix it"). - The ask is one small, reversible step and the person wants it done now. - The gap analysis already ran in this conversation. Never run it twice on the same project. - The ask is a question. Answer it in three lines first; offer the analysis after. When you stand down: at most one question, and only if the truth file and the ask disagree. No method talk: no plan of how you will work, no paragraph on what you are not doing. If you cannot reach the file or the data you need, say so in one line and stop; do not write a speculative fix with [PENDING] holes in it. If th